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Storm Watching in Style

Storm season on Vancouver Island in Canada runs from November through February, and with the storm-watching package at the Wickaninnish Inn, a 75-room Relais & Chateaux beachfront property in Tofino, guests are encouraged to embrace the rainy weather.

Charles McDiarmid, the hotel’s owner, who grew up nearby storm-watching with his family, said that there are about 20 storms a season, with some lasting up to three days. “They are a way to see Mother Nature at her finest,” he said. “You see a big dark sky, flocks of crying seagulls and waves that are 30 feet high and also hear the branches on the massive spruce and cedar trees creaking together.”

Guests booking the two-night package are lent rain jackets, pants and rubber boots in their size and get a two-hour nature walk with a naturalist along the beach and through the adjoining forest. Also included is breakfast, an oilskin hat, a book about local marine life and free valet parking. In addition, the hotel has free storm-watch hikes on Saturdays throughout the season. Rates from $980 for two people.

Guest Comments

Our stay in Tofino was magical from the moment we arrived... We brought our two boys ages 7 and 10, who had such a wonderful time at the Inn. They especially loved the scavenger hunt they could do independently...a treat for the adults as well ;) ... The food was so tantalizing that our kids refused to eat off the kids' menu and instead had oysters and rabbit!